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Indian arts get tougher protection

A recent amendment to a 1990 federal law prohibiting the fakery of Native American arts and crafts now allows all federal law enforcement officers, not just the FBI, to investigate suspected violations. In hopes of better protecting Indian artsits and craftspeople from a surge of imported fakes, under the new rules, for misrepresenting items worth less than $1,000, individual first-time violators face up to a year in prison and a $25,000 fine; a business could be fined up to $100,000. Imported Indian-style goods, not misrepresented, are regulated separately by Customs and Border Protection.